Flight of the Firefly
Flight of the Firefly is an action adventure game in which players control a character that is able to use magic to spawn all sorts of powerful creatures. This character is part of a race of creatures called Fireflies, beings that store a flame, which stores Creation Energy, within their bellies. With these flames, these creatures are tasked with lighting up the sky. However, when a darkness envelops Fireflies and absorbs them into nothingness, one of the newest Fireflies are tasked with investigating the source of this sudden darkness and stopping it in its tracks. Story Prelude The game begins with an intro cutscene, featuring a scroll with rather abstract drawings on it. While the camera pans over drawings on the scroll, the narrator explains each drawing, revealing that a divine being produced Fireflies to light up the darkened cosmos and are able to manipulate Creation Energy, meaning they too are able to create. And then the being created planets, and filled them with life. The being, however, was introduced to the concept of mortality, when one of the Fireflies died of old age, darkness filling the space they once lit up. When a Firefly was put where the expired Firefly once was, the being found that the planets lit up by that Firefly have mysteriously vanished into the nothingness. So, it was decided that the Fireflies would have to reproduce, learn to store Creation Energy to kindle their flame, and then replace expiring Fireflies. Pyrurya After that, the game cuts to a light in the sky, which, upon zooming in, is revealed to be a mysterious, human-bug-like creature, this one wearing a red vest, boasting a red exoskeleton, and short antennae. He is riding upon a cerulean bird with yellow swirls on the undersides of its wings. Most striking is the translucent flame over its stomach, revealing a flame shining brightly through space. Suddenly, something off camera catches his attention, and he looks over confused. However, his confusion turns to horror as a darkness envelopes him. The camera cuts to a far off shot, showing one of the lights in the sky vanishing. The camera cuts to a planet, where Fireflies are sprawling. They have a red vest, but are of varying sizes, shades of color, gender, antennae length, shell shape, etc. It zooms in, and settles on a door, which is about to open. However, players are put into a character creation menu, where they can choose the gender, shade, skeleton shape, height, antennae length, and eye style. They can also choose a particular character class which'll alter the character's stats. For the sake of this article, the avatar will be referred to as Layla, a female Firefly. Layla steps out and walks out onto the street. Fireflies are heading to the square, and a nearby poster reveals that a Firefly is about to be chosen to be a star. The avatar is chosen to go first. And here, players are given a staff, a 5 foot wooden poll topped with a bundle of clear gems. They are then given three bowls, each filled with some ground up material. The left one holds fiery powder, the middle one holds a brown, earthy powder, and the right one holds a blue, aqueous powder. She is then encouraged by the elder to gather energy from the powders. Then, with the user's input, they suck up red, brown, and blue energy. The elder explains that these are specks of Creation Energy, an energy that makes up each individual aspect of the world. Earth and Water energy create plants, Fire and Earth energy create magma, Water and Fire create steam, and so much more. He then tells the avatar that Fireflies are able to warp the energy to their whims, and that he wishes her to do so now. So, following one of three recipes for a being, the avatar creates one of those, either a beast well adjusted to flame, a beast as hard as earth, or a beast that flows like it's always in water. After creating a beast, the avatar is then given a tutorial about the beast. She learns that, with the proper input, she can go onto the beast's back, and switch between using her own attacks, and making the beast attack. She could also rely on the beast to, hopefully, support her. After learning that, the elder channels forth Creation Energy from his flame, and forms a creature of his own, a warthog exhaling flame from its nostrils. Players are then tasked with using their creation to do battle. After a simple battle where the creature has predictable attacks and health only slightly larger than Layla's max health at this point. After defeating them, the player is then dubbed worthy of being a star. So, she's formally allowed to own the staff. After praise and cheer from the crowd, the elder brings Layla into his quarters to discuss a grave issue. One of the stars have gone dark far sooner than predicted, and they fear something very dangerous is afoot. He then says that, if the cause is what he predicts it might be, then Layla will need to gather energy for star-life faster than most fireflies have before. To do so, she'll have to garner Luminary Energy from each planet. He explains each of the eight planets in their solar system store a particular type of Luminary Energy, which acts as a superior form of a particular type of Creation Energy. The planet the reside on, Pyruya, houses the Fiery Luminary Energy. Said planet features lava really close to the surface. As such, there are occasional cracks leading towards lava, and some cracks containing water are pouring steam. Some of the Fireflies' creations have cultivated this steam, using it as an energy resource. As such, it features multiple train lines, steam-powered vehicles, and drills in more industrial areas. The creations have also refined the molten lava into various metals, so much of the architecture is built from metals. The Firefly civilization on this planet is stationed at the northern pole of the planet, requiring Layla to go southwards until she finds a town, for the location of the Fiery Luminary Energy is within a industrial area, which requires special permission to access. The elder states that, on this planet, the whole story of the creation of Fireflies and reality was considered myth, so they won't understand the "need this energy to restore the stars" story. So, Layla is tasked with going towards the equator, and arriving at the closest town, in order to find a way into the facility surrounding the Luminary Energy. As she heads south, Layla finds herself potentially near a town made from metals. It's filled with large tiger people and large bull people, smoke seemingly pouring from them. A few are seen lugging 1-3 steel beams, a few are dragging along wagons of iron ingots, and a few are lounging at their homes. However, as she walks through the town, she can hear talk of an energy crisis. Apparently, the wildlife has been going wild, and has torn up some of the steam valves and pipes, and they can't produce metal fast enough to replace the many damages they encounter. When she approaches a train towards the facility, she's told that access to the facility is restricted on account of the many damages occurring recently. That facility has been one of the few machineries on the planet that haven't been damaged, and they can't risk having anyone unfamiliar approaching it. So, following a few directions as to damaged machinery within the town, they find pipes shredded open, and a generator broken down. Players find that they can summon up fiery energy to fill up the holes, and completely repair the machinery. After repairing 4 pipes in the area and the generator, the town is back in running order, much to the residents' elation. The guards blocking access to the Luminary Facility still insist on restricting access, on account of the other two factories being down. Not only that, but their defenses would also need to be boosted in order to keep them safe. So, with that, the quest is updated to tell players to make their way to the other two factories. Acuata Upon arriving upon Acuata, players will notice that the entire surface is covered in water. Ancient marble buildings dot the surface, some sunk under the water, some standing above it. Layla is requested to go to one of the risen buildings, and ask for directions to the Water Luminary Energy. By asking around, players learn that a grand beast has been causing a ruckus around the planet. Guya Guya appears very desolate. It seems there's no civilization on it, and it's only populated by various ancient-looking creatures. Apparently, recently, numerous ancient races have been resurfacing, a few breaking through the surface, and have been taking over the world. They've torn through the civilization that was on the planet, leaving a few remnants to escape to caves, caverns, or other crevices out of the creatures' reach. Aerow The planet's landmass is split up into pieces of land floating high above a small planetoid in the center of each landmass. Each landmass appears to rest upon a cloud. Jouluae The planet appears yellow, and has storm clouds reigning above them. There are also flowers conducting electricity, pulling lightning from the clouds towards them. Several tribes wearing feline pelts are situated around the planet. Perhaps the strangest part is an ominous pillar of storm clouds near the northern pole. Crinomia The planet is covered in snow and ice, boasting a city of what appear to be ice-structures. Tocsue The planet is positively coated in swamps of corrosive liquids. The planet looks like a giant swamp filled with purple liquid, which is known to devour many creatures not attune with poisonous energy. Fortunately, the dominating race here is a race of rock-like creatures that use the corrosive liquid to trim their bodies as they wish. Fantala The planet's plantlife has a wide range of pastille coloration to it. From bright pinks to cool blues, it looks like something straight out of a dream. Gameplay As stated, Flight of the Firefly is an action RPG, meaning players will frequently have to mind stats, buffs and debuffs, item management, and so on and so forth while They deal with action in real time. Players can press to jump, and again midair to double jump. Players will have access to an action menu, in the form of the balls of energy under their health, which they can scroll through with the and , and select spells from a real time menu with the button. They can use the button to deal light attack, and the button to deal heavy attacks. They can also chain these two buttons together to form combos. The player uses and to cycle between 8 different types of Creation Energy, which'll be discussed below. The attacks will change up depending on what type of Energy is used. One of the most important powers of a Firefly is Creation. If players press the or , they enter creation mode, represented by a large grid that they can put energy onto each grid space. A selected grid space is highlighted white, and players can move the square along the grid with the . Scrolling through the Creation Energy is done the same way as before, and players can press to place a cube of the corresponding color. By forming them into various shapes (all of which are given a proper recipe, but can be discovered via experimentation), they can create all sorts of things, either powerful spells to unleash magical havoc in the area, make environmental objects to make areas more accessible, or, perhaps more importantly, to create living beings. Each thing has its own recipe to follow. Next to Layla's health and Creation Energies is a symbol of a flame that steadily fills up as the Firefly delivers combos. After acquiring three Luminary Energies, Layla earns the power to act like a dim star. And, with this, she acquires a limit breaker: Shooting Star. When players press and at the same time when the flame next to their health and Creation Energies is filled up, Creation Energy pools in towards Layla, forming a celestial glow around her. Then, with a flap of her wings, she flies upwards with enough force to breach the atmosphere from sea level. Then, she turns towards the place she launched from, and flies forward, leaving behind a celestial trail. Players can use the to adjust Layla's landing position, and it's recommended to adjust it such that she launches either in the middle of a group of enemies, or right in the middle of a dangerous enemy. The landing produces an explosion of pure, neutral energy, the energy striking foes with neutral energy, and the impact leading to intense physical damage. Due to how this move works, it can only be done in space that allows Layla to fly way up high. Furthermore, movement for everyone besides the Firefly seems to have slowed down to a standstill, making impact much easier. Mounts Often, the player encounters mounts, whether they be their creation or ordinary creatures. Players are automatically allied with mounts they create, however, they can make natural mounts into their allies with correct food. Players can press near the mount when the command "Mount" appears in their action menu, meaning they ride upon the creature. They can either use this stance to attack foes with their usual attacks, or they can click either to switch between the Firefly's moveset, or the mount's moveset. WIP Creation Energy Now, Creation Energy is paramount to any Firefly. Creation Energy makes up every aspect of existence. Fireflies have the unique ability to manipulate these energies in order to construct all sorts of new affects. It should be noted, that you don't have to worry about running out if you're decent in combat. If you land a decent combo on enemies, you're likely to suck some Creation Energy from them, refilling your stock. The type of Creation Energy you get from an enemy is usually dependent on what the target is made of. Be careful, the player has a limited amount of Creation Energy of either type, so they'll have to grind up creature parts to absorb Creation Energy to use later. Spells Fireflies are capable of channeling any kind of element to form a spell. Spells are the result of Creation Energy interacting with each other, creating a strange new affect. Spells usually cost a short amount of Creation Energy. Before players can use spells, they'll have to go into their menu to set them up. Then, they can use the directional buttons to scroll through another menu in real time, and cast their chosen spell with . It should be noted that many of these spells are usable by enemies. It's just that Fireflies can use any combination of them, while creatures are usually restricted to their Creation makeup. *Fiery Cough - the user sticks out an appendage, and releases a short range burst of fire. **+24 Mag **Uses 10 Fire Energy *Burning Soul - the user sticks an appendage towards an ally, and pours fire into their soul. With this, the target becomes Fired UP **Induces Fired Up **18 Fire Energy *Heat Wave - the user lifts two appendages up, and then thrusts them downwards, sending forth a wave of extreme heat, getting rid of a frozen over area. **Uses 22 Fire Energy **Cure Frozen Over *Smog - the user spins about, producing a cloud of heavy smoke around them. This smoke then inflicts "Nauseating" onto the nearby area. **Uses 25 Fire Energy **Cure Nauseating *Soothing Spa - the user extends their appendages, and coats themselves in a gentle fog akin to a sauna. This is said to be so calming, the user restores some health. **+10% HP **Uses 15 Water Energy *Earthquake - the user slams the ground, producing a shockwave of rubble that strikes those on the ground around them. **Uses 30 Earth Energy **+40 Str *Nipping Arc - the user swipes an appendage before them, sending forth a crescent shaped arc of wind, slicing against foes in front of them. **Uses 15 Wind Energy **+22 Mag *Cleansing Wind - the user thrusts both appendages forward, sending a blast of wind that passes harmlessly around foes, and wipes out the nauseating status. **Uses 23 Wind Energy **Cure Nauseating *Freezing Pirouette - the user outstretches a limb and pirouettes in a circle. The user is also able to input direction in order to make them move around. They spin around for about 4 seconds. **Uses 18 Ice Energy **+13 Str per hit, 07% chance of freezing *Corrosive Bubble - the user produces a large, purple bubble. It moves slowly towards the target. If it makes contact with the target, it'll unleash corrosive gas, harming anyone in contact with the fog for light damage. **Uses 17 Poison Energy **+5 Mag per second in fog Greater Spells Greater Spells are spells that require more precise element manipulation. Like creating creatures, this requires users to enter the grid mode, then arrange creation energy into particular shapes in order to produce a preferable affect. These affects usually cover a very large area, and have a great affect, but players have to be careful not to be attacked while setting up the Greater Spell. Statuses Like most RPGs, Flight of the Firefly features statuses, which represent either a benefit to a person's overall condition, or a detriment. There are two types of statuses: Person or Environment. Person statuses are statuses that affect an individual. And Environment statuses are statuses that affect a general area. *Individual **Poisoned - A status typically caused by poisonous creatures. When one is infected with poison, they steadily lose damage overtime until either an antidote is applied, or the poison is forced out of the system. **Frozen - A status typically caused by ice creatures. When one is frozen, they'll find it difficult to move until either they work through the freeze, or until fiery magic is applied to their body. **Burning Up - A status typically caused by fiery creatures. When one is burning up, that means a creature has put a mighty flame within their soul. While this status takes effect, the individual becomes physically stronger and more defensive. *Environmental **Frozen Over - When an environment is frozen over, anyone on the ground is more likely to slide around due to the limited friction. This can be undone with fiery magic. **Windy - When an environment is windy, it makes it harder for airborne creatures to move around. Flying creatures caught in a windy area are likely to be thrown around and interrupted when attempting a skill. **Nauseating - When an environment is nauseating, most creatures that aren't purely poisonous are sickened by it. A nauseating environment is more likely to be driven away. The castor and their allies won't be grossed out by a nauseating area, nor will the main character. Bosses *Pyrurya **BahBeaQue *Acuata **Hydra *Jouluae **Raiju *Crinomia **Megaptera **Aleu *Fantala **Psyhander *Space **Cerberus Characters *Layla Gallery Firefly.jpg|Layla, the character players play as. Credit *The page's logo was made by Bearjedi Category:Action Role-Playing Games Category:Ursa Division Games Category:Original Games